Families with daughters are surely familiar with the term “precious daughter”; where did this term come from and why do we have “precious daughter” instead of “precious son”?
“Precious daughter” is an affectionate, cherished, and pampered way to refer to a beloved daughter. Many may wonder why people in the past referred to “precious daughter” and not “precious son”, given that drinking is often more associated with men than women.
Why is it said “precious daughter” instead of “precious son”?
Many believe that the origin of the term “precious daughter” may stem from the fact that fathers often drink alcohol and rely on their daughters to buy it for them. They observe that in the family, daughters are usually the most willing to go buy alcohol for their fathers and bring it back, while sons are often lazy and less likely to run errands; it’s tough to ask them to go buy drinks, and they might even sneak a drink from their father’s stash, while mothers generally try to prevent their husbands from drinking.
Another explanation for the concept of “precious daughter” is that fathers cherish both alcohol and their daughters, comparing their beloved daughters to fine wine. When a son-in-law comes to ask for a wife or visit his father-in-law, he often brings a fine bottle of wine as a gift, which many consider the origin of the familiar term “precious daughter.”
Some opinions suggest that “precious daughter” is actually a variation of a Sino-Vietnamese term “nữ nhi tửu”. In the book Nam Phương Thảo Mộc Trạng by the famous scholar Kê Hàm from the Jin Dynasty (China), the story of “nữ nhi tửu” or “female wine” is recorded as follows: “In the South, when a family has a daughter of a few years old, they begin to brew wine, storing it in jars buried by the pond. When the daughter is about to marry, they dig up the wine to treat guests, calling it ‘female wine’, which is very smooth and delicious.” “Female wine is a type of fine wine that must be present in wealthy families who have daughters or are marrying off their daughters.”
Families who have daughters bury wine in the garden. (Photo: Sohu).
In China, the story of “nữ nhi tửu” has been passed down for generations as follows: During the Song Dynasty, there was a skilled tailor in Shaoxing (Zhejiang) who was very happy to hear that his wife was pregnant, hoping that the baby would be a son to carry on his craft. He immediately hired someone to brew twenty large jars of glutinous rice wine to save for the child’s full moon celebration.
Later, when his wife gave birth to a baby girl, the husband was disappointed and decided not to hold a celebration anymore, burying most of the jars of wine at the base of a flowering tree in the garden.
As time passed, the girl grew into a beautiful young woman who was not only skilled but also very intelligent. She learned all the techniques of sewing, tailoring, and bookkeeping, helping her father’s tailor shop thrive. The father then realized that his daughter was truly a treasure from heaven. He arranged for her to marry the best apprentice in his shop to ensure the business would continue.
The wedding was a grand affair. Guests came and went, and the banquet was filled to the brim. Due to the large number of guests, the wine ran out while everyone was enjoying the feast. In a bind, the tailor remembered the jars of wine buried under the tree long ago. He dug them up, anxiously wondering if the wine would still be drinkable after eighteen years.
When the lids of the jars were opened, a sweet aroma filled the house. Guests who tasted the wine praised it as the best they had ever had. They named it “female wine.”
The story spread, and gradually, “female wine” became an essential part of festivals in the Shaoxing region. Families who had daughters would bury wine in their gardens, waiting for their daughters’ weddings to dig it up for the celebrations. All families with daughters in Shaoxing owned this famously delicious wine.
Families with sons also buried wine underground; this wine was brought out when sons reached adulthood and was referred to as “trạng nguyên hồng” instead of “nam nhi tửu”. Perhaps this is also why people in the past referred to “precious daughter” rather than “precious son.”
The term “precious daughter” is used to denote a daughter who is cherished by her parents, and when she gets married, the family throws a large celebration with plenty of fine, expensive wine. The value of this wine is not only in its material worth but also represents the love, care, and hopes of parents for their daughters.
For men, wine is a very special drink, “a man without wine is like a kite without wind.” The term “precious daughter” reflects the immense and special love a father has for his daughter, likening her to a precious bottle of wine.
